How (Not) To: Get a New Ferrari

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on August 14, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Twenty-year-olds: Do you have 15 luxury sports cars, but want one more? Who doesn't! Are you in the difficult position of having a Ferrari 458 Italia but wanting a brand, spanking new Ferrari 458 Italia? We've all been there! Worried your Swiss millionaire dad won't buy it for you? Ugh, parents!

But as hard as it may seem, just ask your pops for that new $300,000 car -- don't hire two goons to set it on fire.

Fathers and Sons

What do you give the son you already give $10,000 a month to? A $30 million portfolio and cars. Lots of cars. The son of a Swiss millionaire had already been given 15 cars from his father, including a Lamborghini and the aforementioned Ferrari.

Despite that generosity, the son was unhappy with the Ferrari. And despite all that financial help, he didn't have his own money to buy a new one. And despite all his dad had done for him previously, he was afraid to ask for a replacement Ferrari. So really, the son had no choice.

A Swiss Watch of a Plan

The son hired two men to "steal" his Ferrari, drive it to Germany, and set the car on fire. And set the car on fire they did (20 Minutes has the photos to prove it). But get away with it they did not. Despite the son's "Ocean's Eleven"-esque plan of getting a massage during the theft as an alibi, surveillance cameras and phone records between the three conspirators did them in.

The mastermind (who allegedly paid the two men $15,000 each) got 22 months probation and a $32,000 fine. The other two got 14 and 16 months probation each. The poor Ferrari got burned. And we all got a valuable lesson about trusting in our parents and going to them, rather than resorting to automobile arson, for help with our problems.

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